13 th IWA Specialized Conference on Watershed and River Basin Management, September 9 th -12 th, 2014, San Francisco, USA

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1 William T. Stringfellow University of the Pacific School of Engineering and Computer Science Ecological Engineering Research Program 3601 Pacific Ave Stockton, CA 95211, USA 28 March th IWA Specialized Conference on Watershed and River Basin Management, September 9 th -12 th, 2014, San Francisco, USA Dear Dr. Zaki Zainudin, Acceptance letter Congratulations! After a peer-review of your submission E. Coli In Tropical Urban Rivers: A Case Study Of The Sungai Gombak Basin your abstract has been ACCEPTED for an oral presentation in the technical programme of the 13 th IWA Specialized Conference on Watershed and River Basin Management. To finalize your inclusion in the conference program you must be fully registered, including final payment, no later than May 31 st, Contributed oral presentations are allotted 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions, and will be placed in thematic sessions scheduled Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon. By submitting an abstract, it is expected that authors will be available during any of these time slots. You will be notified of you final presentation time in July. The goal of the Watershed and River Basin Management (WRBM) Specialist Group is to promote the understanding, utilization, and values of integrated watershed management approaches for the beneficial and sustainable use of rivers and watersheds worldwide. It seeks to achieve this by sharing of expertise and experience among its members and with other interested individuals and organizations Experts from around the world will come together this September in San Francisco, California, USA to network, explore, and discuss cutting edge issues related to sustainable watershed management, with a special focus on emerging issues related to the impacts of climate change on watershed management. Conference topics will include impacts of climate change on watershed management, water energy nexus, managing watersheds across political boundaries, flood control, harmful algae blooms, new tools and technologies in watershed management, irrigated agriculture, and more. Editing your abstract Abstract editing is now available and can be accessed through Friday June 13 th, To review and make changes your abstract, please read and follow the following instructions carefully. We allow authors to make minor changes to accepted abstracts. This includes changes such as refining language for clarity, updating results to reflect more recent findings, rewording the title, and editing the coauthor list. Please do not change the overall topic of the abstract or the study to be presented. We will check all revised abstracts once the editing window is closed. Attention students! This is your only opportunity to edit your co-author list. Please make sure important names (i.e. your advisor) appear as they should in the program! We will be unable to edit co-authors after the editing period has ended. To edit your abstract please use the following link and the login id and password sent to you with your original submission.

2 Alliance House 12 Caxton Street London SW1H 0QS, UK Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) Web: t_id=%27iwa5%27&system_id=1&form_id=1&language_code= Full Paper Submissions The deadline for full paper submissions is June 30th, Submission of a full paper is optional. Instructions for full papers to be included in conference proceedings can be found here. Selected papers will be peer reviewed for publication in IWA Publishing s journals Water Science and Technology, Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, or Water Practice and Technology. Conference Registration The following link will take you to the conference registration site: All presenters are expected to register and pay in full no later than May 31 st. Cancellation Policy Early Registration rates apply through May 31 st, May 31 st, 2014 is the deadline to receive a full refund. Should you decide not to attend the conference after May 31 st, 2014 you will only receive a 50% refund of your conference fee. After July 15 th, no refunds will be issued. Hotel Reservations Be sure to book your hotel stay at the beautiful JW Marriott in San Francisco where you will receive discounted conference pricing. If you will be staying at the hotel before or after the conference we encourage you to do so. The hotel will honour the discounted conference room rate between Friday September 5th and Monday September 15th, If you would like a room with two double beds instead of 1 king bed, you may need to contact the hotel directly at to make your reservation. Be sure to mention that you are with the IWA conference when calling to receive the discounted rate. Further information can be found on the conference webpage ( or you can contact Chelsea Spier (conference organizer) at iwa2014wrbm@gmail.com for more information on the aforementioned conference. I look forward to welcoming you in San Francisco in September! Kind regards, On behalf of the conference program committee William T. Stringfellow Conference Chair

3 E. coli in tropical urban rivers : A case study of the Sungai Gombak basin Zaki Zainudin *, Norazah Abdul Rahman **, Parveen Jamal *, Ma an Fahmi Al-Khatib * * Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia ( zakizainudin@iium.edu.my; jparveen@iium.edu.my; maan@iium.edu.my) ** Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA ( noraz695@salam.uitm.edu.my) Abstract The primary study area is, a river that flows through the mostly urbanized state of Selangor and transcends the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The study aims to characterize E. coli, organics and nutrients on the main stem of the river and its tributaries of Sg. Batu and Sg. Kerayong. There were 28 identified spatial sampling stations throughout the basin. The results on the upper reaches of showed E. coli levels ranged between cfu/100ml. The levels increased and remained between 11,000 cfu/100ml to 18,000 cfu/100 ml downstream upon receiving sewage effluent and other pollution sources. This was comparable to Sg. Batu. Conditions were even worse in as E. coli levels were in excess of 140,000 cfu/100 ml. Ambient temperature increase in excess of 30 C with a T rise of 3 to 4 C appeared to result in some decrement of E. coli; at 0.08/ C for and 0.20/ C for Sg. Batu, albeit this only occurred at single spatial points in both rivers. Variation in BOD 5, NH 3 -N and NO 3 -N did not appear to significantly influence bacterial count in the basin. The study results also showed for the water to be deemed suitable for skin contact, a removal efficiency of at least 92% has to be achieved, which in turn, translated to a die-off period of at least two hours. Keywords E. coli, Kuala Lumpur, Sungai Klang, Sungai Gombak INTRODUCTION The main study area is the, an urban river, which flows through the Klang Valley. The main-stem and tributaries also flow through satellite towns such as Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang. These flows culminate into Sg. Klang in the downstream reaches. The river receives a myriad of pollution load from domestic and industrial sources and has a reputation as being one of the most polluted rivers in the Malaysia (Zainudin et al., 2013; Abdullah. 2013). Water quality benchmarking in Malaysia is usually done via the Department of Environment - Water Quality Index (DOE-WQI). The index consists of six aggregated parameters (sub-indices) of; dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH 3 -N), ph and suspended solids (SS). It gives an indication of the water quality status of most rivers in Malaysia. Information on the DOE-WQI is in the public domain (DOE, 2012), unlike bacterium data, which is not so readily available even though monitored by the authorities. The matter becomes more of concern when bacterium, which typically originates from sewage sources, is not controlled under prevailing sewage effluent discharge regulations (DOE, 2009). What this implies is; there is no requirement or compulsion on the part of sewage operators to incorporate disinfection as part of the treatment process (Ujang and Henze, 2006). The consequence of which was fully experienced in the February 2014 E. coli crisis in Penang, a northern state of Malaysia. The in-stream E. coli count in Sungai Batu Feringghi (Batu Feringgi river) was reported to have reached 16,000 cfu/100 ml (Saad, 2014). The river empties into the

4 coastline adjacent to a public beach. The origin of contamination, unsurprisingly, appears to be from a nearby sewage treatment plant (STP). There is a common misconception that bacterium, once exposed to sunlight, would quickly die-off. Field measurements have shown this is not necessarily true, as bacterial survivability (and even propagation) is also dependent on other factors in the general environment. These include interferences from other constituents (eg. oil and grease), which can negate die-off (Beder, 1992). Hence, bacterium is an important consideration for /Sg. Klang especially in view of the recent rehabilitation initiative by the government of Malaysia to improve the water quality to Class IIB (of the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS)) (ROL, 2014). Class IIB prescribes a coliform count of no more than 400 cfu/100 ml for body contact (hence also for recreational activities). This is in-line with the intention of developing river cruises along /Sg. Klang. One of the adopted approaches, is the centralization of sewage and sullage sources to regional (mega) STPs (Ujang and Henze, 2006). Therefore, further information regarding E. coli distribution and die-off in /Sg. Klang is important to achieve the stipulated objective, especially in the absence of regulatory limits. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sampling Regime The study area focuses on the reaches/sub-basins where existing STPs have been identified to be upgraded in-line with the river of life (ROL) rehabilitation criteria. The rivers in question are Sg. Kerayong and Sg. Batu, aside from the main-stem of. Due to the enormity of the basin, the sampling exercise was conducted between 13 to 28 February Grab samples were collected at 28 stations, 11 on /Sg. Klang, 6 on Sg. Batu and 11 on as well as their respective tributaries. The locations and description of the sampling stations are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1. Table 1 : Locations of Sampling Stations (arranged from most upstream to downstream according to basin/sub-basin ( Sg. Batu ) Basin/Sub-basin Station ID Coordinates/Description SG1 Coordinates : 03 12' 00.6'' N, ' 55.6''E Description : Most upstream station location, located prior to the Bunus STP discharge point SG2 Coordinates : 03 11' 39.7'' N, ' 01.9''E Description : Located downstream of SG1 though still upstream Bunus STP discharge (tributary) SPH1 Coordinates : '' N, ''E Description : Stream leading up to near discharge location SG3 Coordinates : 03 10' 50.7'' N, ''E Description : Ambient water sampling station, located after the discharge point (near the Bandar Baru Sentul mosque) SG1 (Batu) Coordinates : N, E Description : Station on, prior to confluence with Sg. Batu SG4 Coordinates : 03 10' 10.6'' N, ''E Description : Ambient water sampling station, located slightly upstream

5 (Sg. Klang) (Sg. Klang) Sg. Batu Sg. Batu Sg. Batu (tributary) Sg. Batu Sg. Batu Sg. Batu (tributary) (tributary) (tributary) (tributary) (tributary) SG2 (Batu) SG5 and SG6 SK1 SK2 SB1 SB2 SB3 SB4 SB5 SB1 (Gombak) WM5 WM1 WM2 WM3 WM4 WM6 WM7 WM8 WM9 of PWTC (near Leo Palace hotel). Coordinates : N, E Description : Station located after confluence of Sg. Batu and Sg. Gombak, near Jalan Parlimen Coordinates : SG5 : '' N, ''E and SG6 : '' N, ''E Description : Ambient water sampling station, located post-confluence with Sg. Batu (both stations near Dataran Merdeka (Lebuh Pasar Besar)). Coordinates : '' N, ''E Description : Ambient water quality station located post-confluence with Sg. Klang. Coordinates : '' N, ''E Description : Most downstream station on Sg. Klang. Located near Taman Seputeh. Coordinates : N, Description : Most upstream station on Sg. Batu sub-basin. Located prior to Batu STP discharge point. Coordinates : N, E Description : Located downstream of SB1 and after the discharge point. Coordinates : N, E Description : Station on a tributary of Sg. Batu Coordinates : N, E Description : Ambient water sampling station, located near DUKE-Jalan Ipoh crossover, (near Segambut) Coordinates : N, E Description : Ambient water sampling station, located about 2 km prior to confluence with Coordinates : '' N, ''E Description : Station on Sg. Batu, just prior to confluence with Sg. Gombak. Coordinates : 3 7'24.00"N, '50.39"E Description : Most upstream station location on sub-basin, located prior to the tributaries (hence discharge points). Coordinates : 3 7'39.21"N, '24.36"E Description : Located on the first tributary of, upstream prior to contribution from Taman Tasek Tambahan STP Coordinates : 3 7'53.97"N, '47.95"E Description : Station located after contribution from Taman Tasek Tambahan STP Coordinates : 3 7'37.55"N, '23.55"E Description : Ambient water sampling station, located downstream of WM2, still prior to contribution from Taman Lembah Maju STP Coordinates : 3 7'37.35"N, '2.94"E Description : Ambient water sampling station, most downstream station on the first tributary of. Encapsulate all STP contribution within the tributary. Coordinates : 3 7'46.47"N, '34.61"E Description : Station located on the main-stem of, post confluence of the first tributary, though prior to contribution from Taman Maluri C STP. Coordinates : 3 7'57.02"N, '37.73"E Description : Station located on the second tributary of, inculcates contribution from Taman Maluri C STP Coordinates : 3 7'37.33"N, '3.15"E Description : Station located shortly post-confluence of the second tributary with the main-stem of Coordinates : 3 6'53.34"N, '48.74"E Description : Located on the main-stem of, downstream of WM8

6 WM10 WM11 Coordinates : 3 5'49.36"N, '49.86"E Description : Located on the main-stem of, downstream of WM9 Coordinates : 3 5'42.27"N, '43.60"E Description : The most downstream station on the main-stem of Sg. Kerayong STP 1 SG1, SG2 SPH1 SG3, SG1 (Batu), SG4 SB1 (Batu) SG2 (Batu), SG5, SG6 SK1, SK2 WM8, WM9, WM10, WM11 SB4, SB5 STP 5 WM7 WM6 SB3 WM1 WM2, WM3 WM4 SB1, SB2 WM5 STP 2 STP 3 STP 4 Legend Figure 1 : Fish-bone Diagram of Location of Sampling Stations and STP Input in Basin Study Area Measurements and Analysis Direction of flow/point-source input from STP STP 1 : Bunus STP STP3 : T. Tasek Tambahan STP STP5 : T. Maluri C STP STP 2 : Batu STP STP4 : T. Lembah Maju STP Bacterial samples were preserved and analyzed within 12 hours via the colony count method (APHA, 2005). MacConkey agar containing 1% lactose, 0.15% bile salts, and the dyes neutral red and crystal violet were used (Karim, 2011). To ensure an appropriate number of colonies were generated, several dilutions will be cultured. The laboratory procedure involves making serial dilutions of the sample (1:10, 1:100, 1:1,000) in sterile water and cultivating these on nutrient agar in a dish that is sealed and incubated. In-situ water quality and hydraulic measurements of dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, width, depth and velocity were made to derive travel time (Gordon et al., 2004). Besides bacterial count, analysis for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH 3 -N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N) and suspended solids (SS) were also done. This is to ascertain any influences these nutrients may have on in-stream E. coli survivability (Zainudin et al., 2010).

7 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Spatial Analysis Referring to Figure 2, the E. coli count on the upper reaches of were low, less than 100 cfu/100 ml prior to input from the Bunus STP. After KM 2 (roughly where the sewage effluent enters), the levels increased significantly, in excess of 10,000 cfu/100 ml. It is, therefore apparent; the STP was a significant bacterium contributor. These levels remained relatively steady before decreasing to 1,600 cfu/100 ml mid-stream (at KM 7). This decrement can be attributed to die-off or dilution. At this location, the ambient temperature increased to above 30 C, with a T rise of 4.3 C ( T rise; being the quantum of ambient temperature difference between the previous and current station). The levels rose again to 11,000 cfu/100 ml before subsiding to 4,200 cfu/100 ml at Sg. Klang. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, organic (BOD), NH 3 -N and NO 3 -N increment appears consistent with contribution from an STP, with levels going up to 8 mg/l, 2.4 mg/l and 6.1 mg/l respectively (Zainudin et al., 2010). Degradation and oxygen uptake however, did not appear to exert a significant enough influence on the microbial count, as the populous remain fairly consistent even with variation in organic and nutrient levels. 100,000 E. coli Temperature 33.0 E. coli (cfu/100 ml) 10,000 1, River KM Figure 2 : Spatial E. coli count on main-stem of versus temperature ( C) Temperature ( C) 100,000 E. coli DO BOD 20.0 E. coli (cfu/100 ml) 10,000 1, River KM DO and BOD 5 (mg/l) Figure 3 : Spatial E. coli count on main-stem of versus DO and BOD

8 E. coli (cfu/100 ml) 100,000 10,000 1, E. coli NH3-N NO3-N NH 3 -N and NO 3 -N (mg/l) River KM Figure 4 : Spatial E. coli count on main-stem of versus NH 3 -N and NO 3 -N Referring to Figure 5(a), the initial count in Sg. Batu was already in excess of 15,000 cfu/100 ml upstream. Die-off (or possibly dilution) became more prevalent mid-stream, with levels decreasing to 4,500 cfu/100 ml. The decrement was accompanied by a temperature increase to 30.7 C (a T rise of 3.1 C). A similar sharp die-off, from 228,000 cfu/100 ml to 68,000 cfu/100 ml, was observed in (Figure 5(b)) when the temperature increased from 29.6 to 30.7 C. Albeit this time, the T rise was only 1.2 C. E. coli (cfu/100 ml) (a) 100,000 10,000 1, E. coli Temperature River KM Figure 5 : E. coli vs temperature in (a) Sg. Batu and (b) Temperature ( C) At these three locations, the die-off (or decrement) per degree was 0.08/ C for, 0.20/ C for Sg. Batu and 0.64/ C for. However, it is important to note, the decrement only becomes more prevalent when the ambient temperature extends beyond 30 C, with a T rise of 3 to 4 C (with the exception of where the T rise was only 1.2 C). In-stream bacterial population appears to remains steady when the ambient temperature decreases below 29 C (irrespective of T). After these initial die-offs, the E. coli levels in Sg. Batu increased to 9,000 cfu/100 ml before leveling at 20,000 cfu/100 ml; whereas in the count was in excess of 140,000 cfu/100 ml. The most downstream segment of had a whopping count of 680,000 cfu/100 ml. E. coli were also elevated on the tributaries of, with the count in excess of 80,000 cfu/100 ml (mean = 142,400 cfu/100 ml). The results clearly illustrated E. coli in, Sg. Batu and were significantly high and ultraviolet exposure did not necessarily negate the ambient count. Other factors likely inhibited the die-off (Beder, 1992). The question of insufficient die-off time should not arise, as the average travel time in all primary basins were in excess of 4 hours ( = hrs, Sg. Batu = hrs, = hrs). E. coli (cfu/100 ml) (b) 1,000, ,000 10,000 1,000 E. coli Temperature River KM Temperature ( C )

9 Microorganisms thrive in these rivers due to abundance of organics and nutrients (Metcalf and Eddy, 2004). In Sg. Batu, BOD levels were in excess of 7 mg/l and NH 3 -N more than 5 mg/l. NO 3 -N levels however, were relatively lower at less than 0.5 mg/l at majority of stations. The BOD supply (in excess of 15 mg/l) in instigated a more prevalent DO depletion compared to or Sg. Batu, where levels depleted to almost anoxic conditions (Cathy, 2005; Butts et al., 1970). Approximation of Required Ultraviolet (UV) Die-off As suspected, the E. coli contribution appeared to mostly originate from STPs or other sewage sources. Since the rate of ultraviolet die-off of E. coli bacterium is known (Fioravanti et al., 2011; Olayemi, 1993) the average reduction required to achieve targeted levels of the NWQS can be approximated as below (Table 2). It should be noted that the reduction rates are most applicable in a controlled environment such as on-site enclosure with subsequent UV exposure rather than the general environment. The results below also include an additional safety margin of 20%. Generally, a die-off in access of 98% is required to reach 100 cfu/100 ml, which in turn translate to an exposure time of more than 2 hours. To reach 400 cfu/100 ml, an exposure time of 2 hours should be sufficient (provided all other conditions are met). These results can be used as a preliminary estimate for UV disinfection design. Table 2 : E. coli Die-off Rate to Reach NWQS Standards via UV exposure Class IIA Class IIB Class III River (100 cfu/100 ml) % Time to reach (hrs) (400 cfu/100 ml)% Time to reach (hrs) (5,000 cfu/100 ml) % Time to reach (hrs) > 2 hrs hrs hrs Sg. Batu > 2 hrs hrs hrs > 2 hrs > 2 hrs hrs Conclusion The study results unsurprisingly illustrate the decrepit state of the river basin. First, it is rather apparent that the discharge of sewage treatment plants significantly contributes E. coli. The levels in and Sg. Batu generally hovered between 11,000 cfu/100 ml to 18,000 cfu/100 ml, whereas in, the E. coli levels were most of the time in excess of 140,000 cfu/100 ml. This is a direct consequence of bacterium not being regulated in the Environmental Quality (Sewage Effluent) Regulations There were occurrence of die-off (or decrement) at certain locations in the rivers, especially when the ambient temperature exceeds 30 C, with a T rise of 3 to 4 C. The decrement per degree was 0.08/ C for, 0.20/ C for Sg. Batu and 0.64/ C for. In order to achieve the aspirations of the river rehabilitation initiative, bacterial disinfection is required. References Abdullah, K. (2003). The Need for IRBM in Malaysia. IRBM Updates. Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID). American Public Health Association, APHA (2005). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 21 st Edition : Method 5210-B. United States : American Public Health

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